I'm currently an Interactive Media Student who is attending his final year. We have been given the task of working on a project of our choice for the rest of the year. I have located a client who wishes for me to produce a horror themed point-and-click video game for the arcade section of their community website.

I am currently gathering information from my desired target audience. In this case, information from those who are interested in the puzzle or point-and-click genre (like thw Walking Dead video game). I was wondering if some of you would take the time to answer a few questions for me about what kind of horror elements you enjoy and what you would personally like to see in a puzzle/point-and-click genre game that would at least convince you to look at that product once.

I wish to gather as much data as possible from various sources that will help me to develop a game with elements and features that puzzle/point-and-click fans find fun and interesting. I thank you in advance!

For those of you who don't know what a point-and-click game is, it's a game where the player investigates an environment by using the mouse. They can click on objects to find items and solve puzzles in order to advance with the story.

Below are the questions:

Part 1:

1. Do you usually play video games that use puzzles in its gameplay? If you do, please give an example of some of the games that you play.

2. What do you enjoy about puzzle games exactly? Is it the intellectual stimulation? the reward gained from completing a puzzle? etc. Please explain your answer.

3. Is there a certain type of puzzle that you enjoy? For example, maths puzzles, problem solving puzzles, jigsaw type puzzles, riddles, etc.

4. Can you explain why you pesonally enjoy the types of puzzles that you mentioned in the previous question?

5. How complicated do you think puzzles should be?

6. What do you believe makes a fun puzzle? What do you think puzzles need to have in order to catch and hold the player's interest?

7. In a video game, do you find puzzles more enjoyable if they are apart of a storyline? For example, a mystery game based on Sherlock Holmes may involves the player gathering clues and solving smaller puzzles in order to gain more information on the main story.

Part 2:

These next questions will allow me to figure out the details of my game to try and make it appeal to as many people as possible.

1. What kind of puzzles would you personally put in a horror themed point-and-click game that would atleast convince you to try the game out?

2. What kind of puzzles would need to be in the game to make you want to continue playing the game after trying it out?

3. Since the game revolves around investigating rooms and exploring, the puzzles will probebly not be too complex so the player can solve it, unlock more of the story, and then move onto the next puzzle. Would it affect your enjoyment of the game if it took you around 5-7 minutes to complete most of the puzzles?

4. The horror elements in the game may include 'jump scares' where an enemy suddenly appears or a sound is suddenly heard. Other parts of the game may build an atmosphere using background music and subtle sounds in order to provide my client with a horror theme. Would this effect your enjoyment of the game, even if you enjoyed the puzzle elements?

5.How would you balance the horror elements with the puzzle elements so you would personally enjoy the game?

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